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n a short three-and-a-half days, I learned so much about these amazing children: their dreams, their fears, their abilities to overcome extreme, unthinkable obstacles...
Amber Dowd, Bridge of Life Volunteer at Victory Junction Kids' Camp
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With YOUR support, in 2016, Bridge of Life has:
- Completed 12 international medical missions
- Hosted 12 domestic chronic kidney disease (CKD) screenings
- Supported 11 kids' camp sessions
- Engaged 139 DaVita Kidney Care and 42 DaVita Medical Group teammate volunteers
- Impacted 8,461 lives
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Donor Spotlight
Dr. Rahul Prakash
Read about Dr. Rahul Prakash's work and first mission with Bridge of Life (BOL), his passion for helping underserved communities in India and why he feels contributing to BOL's programs is crucial. Read the full interview
here.
Click
here to become a BOL donor!
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| 440 Individuals Receive Primary Care in the DR |
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In early August, BOL traveled to Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic (DR) to conduct five days of clinical services in partnership with Timmy Global Health in different bateys (banana plantation communities) located on the northeast border of the DR. Volunteers specifically worked with Banelino, a banana co-op of 392 small growers who manage plots of land for banana exportation and their family members.
Five DaVita Kidney Care and two DaVita Medical Group teammates provided primary care services and medical consultations to nearly 440 individuals over the five-day period, in addition to dispensing vitamins and medications.
This was BOL's third primary care mission to the DR this year, and BOL will complete a fourth medical mission to the DR this October with the help of an estimated 22 DaVita teammates.
"This trip was a humbling and life-changing experience," said Bridget McCoy, NP, DaVita VillageHealth. "I have many incredible memories, but my favorite is of a 97-year-old patient who thanked me for taking care of him with the warmest of smiles and tears in his eyes. I was crying too....We accomplished things as a very strong team. I loved every minute of my trip."
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Volunteers Needed: MDs, DOs, NPs, and PAs
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BOL needs YOU! We are accepting volunteer applications for our remaining 2016 international medical missions. Help us improve healthcare across the globe with fellow teammates!
Please note that our team will review submitted applications and select those candidates who best meet mission needs to proceed with interview for the volunteer selection process. Selected candidates will be contacted further by BOL. A submitted application does not guarantee a volunteer position for a mission. Please review our
Volunteer
website page prior to submitting your application as this provides a full overview of FAQs in relation to volunteering with BOL, including information on taking PTO, travel expenses and more. If you have additional questions, please contact
Katie Chandler
. We look forward to receiving your application!
Primary Care: Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic
- October 15-23
- 2-3 providers needed
Primary Care: Nicaragua
- November 12-19
- 3 providers needed
Kidney Donor: Guatemala City, Guatemala
- December 4-8
- 2 providers needed
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Nepal Reps Visit DaVita World Headquarters
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Dr. Basnet & BOL Board Member Mike Geiger
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In early August, Dr. Shakti Basnet and Ganesh Uprety from BOL's in-country partner, the Nepal Kidney Foundation (NKF), visited DaVita's World Headquarters to personally thank DaVita teammates for raising over $30,000 for the Nepal Emergency Fund in 2015 to help provide chronic kidney disease (CKD) screenings to nearly 3,300 men, women and children through BOL in five communities located in Kathmandu, Nepal last December.
Dr. Basnet presented on BOL and NKF's previous and upcoming partnership efforts to
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Dr. Basnet & Ganesh Uprety |
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spread awareness on CKD and provide screenings to underserved communities in Nepal.
During their trip, Dr. Basnet and Mr. Uprety also visited DaVita's Commerce City Dialysis center to tour the clinic, gain
insight on DaVita dialysis treatment services and observe under the clinic's medical director, Dr. Michael Shomaker. They also had the opportunity to help translate for a Nepalese patient!
View our
video
to hear more about our work in Nepal with NKF!
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| Calling All Teammates: Become a Global Giver! |
Become a member of the Global Givers payroll donation program benefiting BOL's programs with a contribution of at least
$1.93 per pay period: just a $50 annual donation can provide a week's worth of dialysis treatments for one patient!
Your gift will provide kidney and primary care services and treatments to individuals in underserved communities around the globe and help improve healthcare for THOUSANDS of people. We will provide you with special updates on the impact your contribution is making.
DaVita's open enrollment period is fast approaching, and it's a great time to sign up. You can also follow the simple steps on our
Global Givers website page to enroll at any time throughout the year. For more information, contact
[email protected].
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| Teams Raise $56,000 for Tour DaVita Riders |
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Congratulations to the following teams who hosted their annual Tour DaVita fundraisers this year, including events like poker/casino nights, flip-flop Fridays and pancake breakfasts, to benefit Tour DaVita riders: DaVita Rx, World Headquarters, Team Playa/Cabana-Casa Pacifica-DMG, Team Liberty, The Grove, Team Evergreen, Team Music City, and Apex/Southern Diamond. Through the hard work and effort of the team leads, volunteers and participants, they raised nearly $56,000!
DaVita Rx raised the most money this year, totaling over $32,000! DaVita teams have raised over $300,000 through Tour fundraiser events since 2007. BOL is grateful to all the teams and their amazing efforts in not only helping Tour riders, but in helping BOL to improve healthcare across the globe and impact over 16,000 lives in 2016 alone. One for all!
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To view our upcoming BOL missions, check out our events calendar:
To support BOL's onging work, please visit our online donation page:
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BOL is a nonprofit organization founded by DaVita, Inc. and operating under DaVita Village Trust, Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity. BOL improves access to primary care and dialysis treatment in underserved communities around the world while also focusing on prevention of kidney disease through early-detection testing and education. BOL serves thousands of men, women and children through four programs: kidney care, primary care, prevention and education, and kids' camps. For more information, please
click here
.
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Bridge of Life | 888-374-8185 | BridgeOfLifeInternational.org
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